A Sportsman 325 



"Killers," said one of my men, "and there they 

 are," he continued, "a large pack coming around 

 into the bay from a point south." 



I looked and saw them, not half a mile off, a sin- 

 gular sight, like a broken body of infantry with 

 bayonets up, and nothing more visible, a very 

 peculiar sight, for the killers have a slim black dorsal 

 fin, some five or six feet in height, which they 

 carry afloat above the water as they swim along on 

 the surface, as they proceed when not engaged in 

 pursuit or feeding. We were a mile away from our 

 landing, and I will confess I felt a sudden emotion 

 of apprehensiveness, as I saw this murderous gang 

 of sea bandits coming directly upon us. But my men 

 said, "No fear, they will not harm us," although I 

 found they had some little apprehensiveness them- 

 selves. 



Soon they were all around us, but scattering, with 

 occasionally some so near that we could plainly see 

 their black bodies, with the white splashes on their 

 heads ; sportively, some were slashing carelessly about 

 with their cross-set tails, plainly evincing their great 

 power, and I thought how easily one of them could 

 smash up our boat in a twinkling, if desired. I estimated 

 their number at one hundred and fifty, which my 

 men conceded, for they could not be readily counted, 

 as some of them would go under now and then for 

 a time, soon reappearing. It was a most astonishing 

 sight, more so than anything I ever witnessed, and 

 I have seen half a hundred whales about me. They 

 were so many pirates of the sea with their black flags 

 hoisted. I thought some of them looked at us very 

 suspiciously with their oval eyes, white-spotted below, 



